Former FSDB president dies

Dillingham, 66, was being treated for leukemia in Texas

Former Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind President Elmer Dillingham died Wednesday at a Houston hospital, where he was receiving treatment for leukemia. He was 66.

When he announced his retirement decision in 2007, FSDB trustees wanted him to stay on, but he told them, "I want to take it easy and enjoy life." After 40 years in the teaching profession, Dillingham predicted "I'll have to de-program myself."

Friends and colleagues remember him as a person dedicated to his students.

"Elmer was a very modest gentleman," said Mary Jane Dillon, a former chair of the FSDB board of trustees.

She recalled whenever she would express appreciation for a job well done, "He had a standing response: 'It's all about the kids.' He didn't take personal credit for accomplishments. It was clear his first priority was students. He loved the school. He loved the kids.

"It was a privilege and an honor to work with him," Dillon said.

Danny Hutto, who succeeded Dillingham as president, called him, "a great guy, just a good friend, a great person to work with.

"He was very sincere, very kid-oriented. Everything he did came back to the kids."

"I enjoyed him as a friend, and I had great respect for him as an educator," said state Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine. Proctor served on FSDB's board of trustees for 18 years, 12 of those as chairman.

Funeral plans have not been announced.

Dillingham began his career at the deaf and blind school in Morganton, N.C., as a teacher, eventually becoming superintendent. He was at the school 25 years. He also worked as a teacher and coach in another deaf and blind school in western North Carolina.

In 1994, Dillingham and his wife, Mary Cameron, moved to St. Augustine, where he became principal of FSDB's Department of the Deaf for three years, then was appointed president July 1, 1997. He retired in 2008 and the couple decided to remain in St. Johns County, living in southern Ponte Vedra Beach.

"Elmer Dillingham influenced many young students both at FSDB and in North Carolina, where he served for many years as a teacher, coach and administrator. He fondly recalled his years of coaching, and he was a regular at Mason Dixon Tournaments," according to a release from FSDB on Thursday.

The games are held by the Mason Dixon Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association.

Dillingham's "unwavering devotion" to the school also was praised in the FSDB release.

Dillon said Dillingham oversaw a number of improvements to the schools including a steady increase in enrollment, significant increase in day student enrollment, growth in the parent-infant program, extension of outreach service to districts throughout the state, a major step forward in medical services through a collaborative program with the University of Florida, securing of the campus and renovations of major campus buildings.

She said that during Dillingham's administration FSDB also saw the construction of an independent living facility, the first public-private collaborative funding for the fitness and recreation center in the blind department, construction of a new related services building, promotion of solid legislative support for the school's budget and ongoing operations and implementation of state-of-the-art technology to enhance learning and improve services for students.